Research Guides: Using Archives and Special Collections (Tri-Co): Handwriting Hints

Handwriting Interpretation

Reading handwriting can be one of the trickiest aspects of working with archive materials. Below are some sources that will help you decipher handwriting.

Script Tutorial
This site from Brigham Young University offers help in deciphering handwriting and alphabets used between 1500 and 1800 in western Europe. It doesn't include Latin, however.
Deciphering Chicken Scratch
A video with tips on deciphering handwriting.
Paleography: Reading Old Handwriting
A tutorial on reading materials written in English between 1500 and 1800 from the U.K. National Archives.
English Handwriting, 1500-1700
An online course in paleography; the site also includes sample transcriptions of documents.
Paleography Resources
A list of paleography resources from the Newberry Library. (Mostly Western European languages.)
Useful tips for reading handwritten documents
General strategies for reading handwritten documents (mostly focusing on the 19th and 20th centuries), including good information on abbreviations.
Reading Old Handwriting
A guide from the National History Museum of Scotland, with useful images and examples.